Reaction to immgration law

There has been an outcry towards the new Law by the sports world. Robert Menendez who is a Hispanic democrat senator for New Jersey has called for baseball players to boycott the 2011 All Star game which is to take place in Phoenix Arizona. Mr Menendez who was writing to Micheal Weiner the director of Major League Baseball stated:

'The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally'

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/menendez-urges-boycott-of-all-star-game-in-arizona/?scp=4&sq=arizona&st=cse

The public have also shown their disdain for the new Law the Observer reported:

'Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through at least 70 cities in America yesterday to protest against the new anti- immigration legislation in Arizona that they say discriminates against illegal immigrants and amounts to racial profiling of Hispanics. … In Los Angeles, an estimated 100,000 people were expected to have taken part in the demonstration yesterday. Organisers in the city, which has a larger Hispanic population, painted red and yellow signs that read “Todos Somoa Arizona” (We are all Arizona)'

Article can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/02/demonstrations-us-anti-immigration-legislation

We discussed in class whether we thought this legislation would change the amounts of immigrants coming into the country. The Observer reports:

'Regelio Cuvas is just the kind of migrant that the state of Arizona would like to keep out. A 39-year-old shop worker, he was deported from the U.S last week after spending 10 years in Los Angeles. Now he finds himself in the ramshackle Mexican border town of Nogales, just over 1,000 miles south of Phoenix, where lawmakers have passed draconian anti-immigrant legislation. … “It is not a good law. People can pick me up because they just see me in the street,” said Cuvas. But would it stop him making a bid return? “No, of course not,” he said, as of the question was absurd.'

The law is also affecting the stores in America. Many Mexican customers in Nogales who would do their shopping in the U.S no longer want to shop there.

'Lydia Medina, who workers in one of the drug shops, said she does not want to cross anymore. “Nobody I know is going over there,” she said. When asked for her reaction to the law, she threw up her hands and shouted one word: “Racist!”'

Article can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/02/immigration-border-illegal-racism

Although the new law is making some happy in Arizona as they feel the local government is making a stand against immigration. It is also causing many problems for Arizona and the Arizonian people. Boycotts will affect the economy and businesses. Tourism may also be affected as many feel negatively toward this legislation. Finally, it is unknown how affective this will prove to be in deporting illegal immigrants, but if we are to believe Mr Cuvas it will not stop people crossing the border.